Third Wheels?

[Flickering Ember]

I have a personal experience involving this from a different MMO. I had a character who was hanging out in a town while there just so happened to be some guild-based RP going on. It was more than two people but I've often been hesitant to enter an RP when all the characters all have the same guild tag. 

 

My character was nearby and over-heard what was going on. She had an opinion and I decided to let her butt in on the conversation and deliver her spiel to this guild after debating for a long time whether or not I should get involved.

 

She ended up becoming good friends with that guild leader which lead to many more RP scenes.

 

Moral of the story, I guess: You can't always be sure if RPers will respond positively to your RP, but you also can't be sure that you won't be missing out on meeting your next RP partner(s) either.

[K'nahli]

Are you saying that wasn't you, or you weren't IC? My memory could be wrong; I think I had some whiskey that night. Anywho If it was you, you did stop and turn towards me. Maybe you OOCly saw me as familiar and wanted a double-take?

 

Tobias, Ansemaru, my character is not the Koolaid man, nor is he an armored titan.....

 

 

But I wanna try that! See how it works! Thanks! LOL

 

OOC 99.9% of the time.

[Olofantur]

-snip-

Does anyone actually feel like that at any point? I can't count the times a lone RP'er has sat down at a table in the quicksand and emotes on on their lonesome ;w; Personally, for the few times I have RP'd there it hasn't really bothered me and I accept that what I am doing is only adding to the setting but whenever its anyone else I assume the worst =w= ;;

 

I've seen the same thing happen,

 

I'll sit at the bar and sip my drink while i'm talking OOcly in a Linkshell, just to show that I can be talked to and help add to the "living" element of the setting, but sometimes I get this horrible feeling that others are hoping to have people burst in and engage them. Or perhaps worse (for me) is when some one sits next to me just moments before I stand up because i've been asked to help else where.

 

I know you were standing around for a while and I know it likely took a while to think of a probable reason to engage me, and whipping small talk out of thin air isn't easy for everyone I'M SORRY I WANT TO TALK TO YOU TOO I just had the dungeon queue for AK pop and I really want those Myth tomes /weep

[K'nahli]

 

I've seen the same thing happen,

 

I'll sit at the bar and sip my drink while i'm talking OOcly in a Linkshell, just to show that I can be talked to and help add to the "living" element of the setting, but sometimes I get this horrible feeling that others are hoping to have people burst in and engage them. Or perhaps worse (for me) is when some one sits next to me just moments before I stand up because i've been asked to help else where.

 

I know you were standing around for a while and I know it likely took a while to think of a probable reason to engage me, and whipping small talk out of thin air isn't easy for everyone I'M SORRY I WANT TO TALK TO YOU TOO I just had the dungeon queue for AK pop and I really want those Myth tomes /weep

 

Yes!! This precisely ;;; I hate that niggling feeling of doubt...

[Faye]

Moral of the story, I guess: You can't always be sure if RPers will respond positively to your RP, but you also can't be sure that you won't be missing out on meeting your next RP partner(s) either.

 

This!

 

As the first responder said, emotes are a good way to let the other RPers know you're interested in joining and gauge their reaction. But keep in mind this isn't foolproof; if you just emote looking at my character while she's engaged in conversation, the most she'll probably do is look back, but that doesn't mean you aren't welcome to join in on the role-play.

 

I like to keep OOC and IC very separate (so I've gotten used to "shifting gears," myself), and I try to do the same for other people. That being said, I try to keep my first impression of them IC separate from my first impression of them OOC. Receiving a tell from someone asking if they can join may spoil a bit of the spontaneity, but it's an acceptable loss--a certain degree of OOC communication is necessary. The personality difference between someone OOC and IC probably won't be too jarring to anyone, and if it is, that's on them, not you. They should realize that you are not your character.

 

As for who to send tells to, you can send a tell to one person, both, or neither! It doesn't really matter. If one person agrees and the other says no, I would just leave. There's no reason to role-play with someone rude and/or uninterested and be where you aren't wanted. You could always role-play with the person who agreed at some later time when the person who objected isn't present.

 

If you see people role-playing and it's a conversation your character would logically join in on, feel free to jump right in. I usually just join in IC without sending a tell first. Admittedly, there are people who will get annoyed OOC if you join their role-play, but they're silly for having a "private" role-play in public and they're probably no one you'd want to RP with anyway, so that's no loss. 

 

Personally, I enjoy when other people join in on my RP's. I like meeting new people, and it makes the world feel real, populated, and alive. If my character is discussing something more private/personal, she may not be grateful for an interruption, but OOC I am grateful for and unoffended by the interaction. So that being said, anytime I'm role-playing in a public channel, it's not a "private" role-play. Feel free to join in if you see me! I can't speak for my other role-play partners, but I won't mind and neither will Val! Someone mentioned being apprehensive about joining in FC role-plays. If you see people on Balmung with the <> tag, you can always join in on our RP. We won't mind at all!

 

Going back to the quote at the beginning, just give it a try. Worst case scenario, you're excluded from the role-play and you move on to better prospects. Best case scenario, you've met new role-players and joined their role-play. It's that old cliche of, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take," or whatever.

[Tobias Nightbringer]

Tobias, Ansemaru, my character is not the Koolaid man, nor is he an armored titan..... But I wanna try that! See how it works! Thanks! LOL

 

 

 

Not with that attitude, your character isn't!

 

But in all seriousness, if I wanted to break into an RP that I see going on, as everyone says, /emote and acknowledge them AND I also specifically TYPE the full names of the characters I am watching/listening to. 

 

Names are a VERY powerful hook to lead into an RP because when someone is scanning through the chat and they see their name in a post, they immediately know that someone is paying attention to them to some degree. And then most likely, the person will read the rest of the post to see why the newcomer had mentioned their name--usually. Again, however, this chat system sucks and RPing in a Tavern during peak hours...well...heh....

 

Now that does not mean your character should know their name obviously. So your character shouldn't say the name of the person/people you want to interact with IC without due reason. 

 

Tobias watches Sasha Anduin and Tevan Le'star speak at the bar about matters concerning the Garlean Empire.

 

 

Not sure if anyone has offered this piece of advice, but I wouldn't be surprised if someone already did. Theeeeen, maybe OOC after a few posts I would whisper them and apologize profusely if I am interrupting a private RP session or something and offer to step out if I am feeling THAT concerned about it. Or at least thank them for allowing me to step into the scene.

[C'dhen Tia]

I think the general consensus here is that if people are conversing in public, emote at them and it'll be ok.

 

The key here however is to emote at them. In my experience, it's not often that when you're by your lonesome emoting to yourself, watching the tavern or what have you, someone will approach you. It does happen on occasion which is great! But don't rely on it, because it usually won't hook anyone. If you show you're actively interested in what other people are doing and have your character in actual proximity to the situation in question, I think you're far more likely to be responded to.

[S'anhu]

 

Names are a VERY powerful hook to lead into an RP because when someone is scanning through the chat and they see their name in a post, they immediately know that someone is paying attention to them to some degree. And then most likely, the person will read the rest of the post to see why the newcomer had mentioned their name--usually. Again, however, this chat system sucks and RPing in a Tavern during peak hours...well...heh....

That's actually a smart idea. It can definitely get hectic in an area where there are lots of separate conversations and I often find myself looking out for a familiar name to make sure I don't miss anything. I can't always read the conversations of others, as much as I try.

 

A good thing to help with this (and avoid spelling errors/mistakes) are some of the macro placeholders. You can use and and all those in Say and they'll show up with the proper names. It can make some of the longer/more difficult names to type stand out since it'll be their full character name, as well.

[C'kayah Polaali]

But in all seriousness, if I wanted to break into an RP that I see going on, as everyone says, /emote and acknowledge them AND I also specifically TYPE the full names of the characters I am watching/listening to. 

 

That's a fantastic idea! I've always gone in for the "take a deep breath and jump in" method, but that can take some nerving up, especially when I'm new to a game. I'm going to try this.

 

Olofantur, I know what you mean. If I have to run off in situations like that, I'll usually send a tell explaining things. I'm pretty firmly in the "more OOC info shooting around is better" camp.

[Tyndles]

If you are RPing in public, you have to be open to allowing people to enter play.  If you want it private, but want to be in whatever setting, do it in party chat at least.

 

I was filling out my hunting log and two people were RPing what was about to become sexytimes in public chat, so I commented in a humorous way, and all I got was a snarky OOC response.  Which is lame.

 

If I see people RPing in public, and I feel like I can add to it, I will.  If they don't want me around for whatever reason, they need to take it to private, or at least find an in character way to dismiss me. 

 

Bottom line:  If it's in public chat, go for it.

[Kheni'to]

Thank you for all the responses guys and gals. All very helpful.

 

So far its looking like emoting at the characters may be my way to go, if they seem clearly receptive then I can try to jump in. If it is unclear then an OOC tell will be the way to go.

 

I've been thinking; if I said something simple like "((may I join in?))" then that shows very little personality, so I wouldn't have to worry about it being jarring, shifty or awkward.

[Nebbs]

Simple..

 

If they are speaking in open channels  /say  /em  then it's open season

If they aren't, and a lot use /party for private RP then leave alone

 

How you do it is down to your character, but signalling you are RPing with emotes or comments to no one or NPCs is a good way to start. 

 

If really worried an OOC /tell is a nice way to ask.