Great RP; What Makes It?

[Aeylis Bloodbinder]

I'm pretty laid back when it comes to RP.  As of late, -any- RP is nice since I've been lacking in it.

 

I would honestly have to say though, what I really enjoy is:

 

1. Finishing a plot and not leaving my character hanging in the abyss.  If you made up a plot and asked me to be in it, great! I'd love to participate!  But don't go off and leave it when I have invested a lot of time and effort into it.  I'm normally not the type to just bow out of RP, but you leave my character just dangling in the wind for two weeks, it's irritating to try to work around things since I'm not the biggest fan of time-hopping or side RPing if i'm involved with something big that generally affects my character in some sort of way.  Closure is always nice, you know.

[Paradox]

New to the forum, so bear with me. This is my two cents, both what I think makes good RP from my opinion and standpoint, and also a few little gripes.

 

Imagination: For me, what primarily makes a good RP is imagination. The willingness to grow and exercise the imagination is important to me, over most dictates of what's lore friendly or anything else. I like to see difference, and effort, even if that effort makes other people chafe sometimes. I've never been the type to really care if someone is particularly super realistic to a fault in terms of what their character is. I'll RP with anyone as long as it's fun and imaginative (but not TOO silly or literally impossible). I mean, if they're a high class voidsent in a [race here] shell, Or just some messenger kid trying to stiff me an extra gil for giving me a letter from the local magistrate, as long as I can see they enjoy their character, then I can enjoy it with them.

 

Grammar/Spelling/Content: I like some nice meaty (giggity) verbosity as well, but at this point in my RP life, it's not a thing I'm going to stress over. It's nice to see detailed, well thought out posts with lots of imagination, but not everyone is an English major (for those whom English is a language they speak) or has been writing for a long period of time. I'm not critical of typos, as I know some people also speak English as a second or even third language, and context or spelling is sometimes lost in translation. Admittedly I'm a bit snobbish in that one or two line posts do make me go 'meh', but sometimes the person's enthusiasm makes up for things in that regard.

 

I'm not going to accost someone for not having beautifully scripted and detailed posts. Admittedly in more private RP when there's not a lot of people to be subjected to a wall of text, more is better to me. I also detest post filler. Superfluous details actually make something less worth reading, not more. Opinion, of course.

 

Reactions fitting Actions in regard to conflict/consequences: One thing I also think makes RP good is people who accept consequences of actions IC. You see this a lot; time and time again there are characters that love to talk a lot of smack, or swagger about, then one is informed when reacting at times appropriately as a character would, that the person doesn't RP fight, with dice or otherwise. I get that this is a personal player choice. However, if you have a character who is going to say something that might merit another realigning their jaw for them, it seems highly out of place to be told 'well I don't RP fight so you can't do anything about it'. This creates an extreme situation vacuum. Accepting consequences is a huge part of RP and applies to more than just conflict.

 

 

Sharing the story/Being part of the whole: Another thing that makes good RP is willingness to share. Share your story, and let others share theirs. If you want to be the big hero, that's fine. But big heroes need a supporting cast. If you want to be incredibly powerful, then good for you, but just remember that a great power needs lesser powers to make their lives interesting. If you just want to be a humble shopkeeper, awesome too. Everyone needs to buy their goods from somewhere. I mean, where would those awesome magic items come from, if not the magic item shop? I don't really care if your character's more mundane, or fantastical, or off the wall crazy, or anything, as long as you're willing to make sure the enjoyment, and the story, is shared across other people.

 

Whether you hug the lore like a religious text or bend it like a slinky, as long as you can interact nicely with the rest of the class and help shape a story with those you get involved in your own, then you're alright by my book. Sure, everyone will have their problems with certain people (IC and OOC), but keeping the story flowing despite it is a great thing.

 

Communication: Oh [deity here], Communication. Honestly, nine out of ten conflicts of interest come from a lack of communication by the players involved. I find in conflict heavy RP especially, this is the case. Overall, it's good to just talk about things. Who knows? Maybe you'll make a friend while you're at it.

 

RP is a thing we all make together, so doing what the best of art does: adapting and flowing as styles change and differ, makes it the best in my opinion. Just my two cents. Sorry if it was a bit..lengthy. I talk too much when I'm tired.

[industrythirteen]

Entertaining others. If I haven't entertained someone else, I don't feel like I've done it right.

[ArmachiA]

• K.I.S.S - Keep it Simple Stupid. Post lengths that are unneededly lengthy, characters that are unneededly bloated, complicated plot lines so confusing it hard to follow them. A lot of people think Unique or good means overly complicated. If it takes a sentence to say something, say it in a sentence. If it take a paragraph, say it in a paragraph. If your character has so much stuff thrown into them because you the player thought all that was cool, it's going to be hard to follow. Same with plots. K.I.S.S - best thing I ever learned in English Class.
  
• Show me, don't tell me. One thing that bothers me about RPers sometimes is they'll come in and tell us how are characters are supposed to respond to theirs based on something in their profile. That we're supposed to think they are extremely charming, or extremely intimidating, or an extremely good fighter. Then of course, they get frustrated that people don't respond in such a way. I would much rather you show me through your acting and roleplaying ten telling me right out the gate then get mad when it fails.
  
• Don't take OOC talk personally. This is a huge one for me, since my guild likes to comb through characters decisions with a fine toothed comb and talk about whether or not what they made a good one. One thing I really like about the people I rp with is that they will talk about the negative aspects of a character along with the positive, never throwing out "Yay your character is so good!" for no reason. I think this helps us keep the OOC/IC barrier intact, we're able to criticize character decisions without criticizing the player for playing them. Some people take this as a personal attack however, unable to see that other characters would see theirs in a negative light.
  
• Don't be afraid to let your character lose or get hurt. As a GM this is vital. So many people will get really pissed off really easily if it looks like their character is going to lose or something happens to them they didn't anticipate. It doesn't even matter if you warn them something is coming first, when it happens some people will still get upset. I like working with fluid people.
  
• Don't take lore talk personally.
  
• Be interesting.

 

Plus, everything A'rklonn Sargonnai said.

[Khorijin Orben]

Interesting characters: This probably should go unsaid since it has been mentioned before in the thread, but I'm going to tag on my own flavour. I like characters with interesting stories that don't include copious amounts of tragic plot points as a backstory. I love doing horrible things to my characters during current RP plots, and I'm sure other people do as well, but I've seen "My super wealthy parents died and before that I had a lot of daddy issues and my life is horrible, inner turmoil *grunts*". If your character is trying to overcome those things, I'm more inclined to listen to their story, but if that is their sole personality trait, I tend to glaze over it and move on to something else. 

 

 

Length: Someone who knows when multi-para is fine, and when someone knows to keep things concise and simple. I love posts with multiple paragraphs in one-on-one settings and when the extra length adds necessary or interesting details to our interaction.

 

'Clicking': What I mean by clicking is when they two characters bounce really well off of each other in encounters. My character happens to be very rude and sarcastic. If my partner can banter with him, Nick not only enjoys it, but I love it. It makes the roleplay entertaining when two characters mesh well together.

 

Reasonably spaced out encounters: Despite the above post, I don't want to roleplay with you every day for a week straight. I know that sounds really rude, but I get burned out pretty easily by constantly roleplaying with just one person. Two days in a row? Sure. If our characters are close or bumped into one another randomly, I'm okay with that! But, my characters all have lives of their own and jobs that they need to do. It also gives us a chance to RP with other people. 

 

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.

 

OOC friendliness: I love talking about RP. I love theorycrafting how our characters might get along. I love it even more when the other person behind the monitor likes discussing it back. You don't have to be my best buddy in the whole wide world, but I like being able to get along with someone on an OOC level, especially if we're going to be RPing frequently. If my character is in a relationship with yours? I will probably add you on skype and message you to do other stuff other than RP (Want to farm x,y,z. Want to level another class together?) If my character is in a relationship with yours, more often than not, we've talked quite a bit and become friends on an OOC level as well.

[Nero]

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: 

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. 

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.

[Renata Turner]

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!! ).

 

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. 

 

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.

[Iex]

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.

[Delilah Scythewood]

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.

[Dravus]

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!

[Khadan]

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". 

 

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. =)

[Flickering Ember]

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. 

 

 

 

allgivenover:

 

 

[What not to do]: 

• 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.

[T'caska Khevo]

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?

[Kage]

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?

[Dravus]

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

[Melodia]

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*

[T'caska Khevo]

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?

[Alothia]

I'm going to merge them! ♥

[Nebbs]

I'm going to merge them! ♥

 

Hmmmmm ... It tickles