Transitioning from Reactive to Active RP

[Kage]

*points at Roen*

*points at Raelisanne*

 

I will say that most of the talk on alts already hit all I can think of. I see alts as their own PCs in their own right once you've made them a character. They've got their own motivations and stories to tell. Is it something that can be done often? Do I need to be on both characters at the same time mostly? How likely would they be in scenes with characters of my own?

 

... do they require outfits similar to the Brass Blades'? What outfit or similar outfit requires what level? Also helps me decide whether or not I would just NPC it or if I'd make an alt.

 

Personally, I like to spend all my time on Kage. I only made alts to supplement the stories of other characters not my own. Their backstories or to just get a good reaction *cough*SultryCourtesanakaRoenLookalike*cough*.

[Stagnetti]

I didn't read through all the replies, so apologies if these points have already been brought up.

And also apologies for being a bit long-winded.

 

1) Don't be afraid to make Obsidian the focal point. If you are creating an RP arc based around her, she has to be the star of the show.

2) Don't come up with a story arc that has the ending set (or even the middle set). When writing fiction it's fine, because you have to have an end (even if it's a "to be continued" end). But with RP, others are involved that might influence the story in a different direction that you never even considered.

That's more of a personal preference.

3) Don't be rigid and expect everyone to follow a sequence of events. If you need to have a specific ending, then you need to. But don't have the RP set up so that it seems like everyone is just reading from a script. Let those involved know what the ultimate outcome is so they know in advance and can help direct the story there.

4) If you feel yourself stepping back in the reactive mode and are losing control of the story, remind yourself it's YOUR story and do something unexpected that catches everyone involved off guard.

5) Sometimes a story arc just doesn't work. It's probably no one's fault, it just happens sometimes. If it's not working, throw a wrench into it, maybe invite someone who you think might spice it up. It's possible that it just hasn't juiced out yet, and needs a little more time. Or if needed, wrap it up and come up with a new one. Just make sure you don't decide it's not working before it even had the chance to get off the ground.

6) As you did here, ask for advice or tips once the plot is going. Go with your gut to start with, but if you get lost or need a little tip or nudge, by all means ask. But remember, this is Obsidian's story. Don't let others take over or tell you what to do. Get advice, and then adapt it top the story. Don't change the story to reflect the advice, change the advice to reflect the story.

7) Most importantly, as with most things, have fun with it. Driving a story is different than being a supporting character. Don't get discouraged if it seems like it's not going well. It might be going great, but you just don't see it.

[Flickering Ember]

Hey Hornet, I am mostly a reactive Rper but have been an active Rper in my past, depending upon my RP group set up. There is nothing wrong with the story being about Hornet's past. I actually recommend it. It will help bring your friends into the picture and make the story easier to unfold. Just make sure there are plenty of reasons for others to get involved and that there is a potential for others' characters to get development as well. You don't even have to give it too much thought to lead the rp. That is to say, usually I just wing it and see where the RP takes us.

[Michelleswain]

Wow! Never thought I'd find a group of people who knew and understood these concepts.

 

I've struggled with this for years. Have quit whole games over this (big reason I left Tera). I never put it in simple terms reactive vs active, but now that several of you have defined it, it solidifies the concept for me.

 

My problem has always been not finding active role-players. I'm almost always the one running things, or trying to get things going in some way. Whether it's to host a part, drop a quest seed, or just walk up to people.

 

Eventually I got sick of being the active role-player. And like some folks mentioned, other role-players begin looking at you as if you're elitist or want to come off as a special snowflake. Back in Tera, I stopped being active, I just gave up. I'd sit in the tavern with my RP groups, not a single one would say anything. If they did it was almost always something to do with romance at best.

 

What little rp I did get was shallow, and rarely hit the setting or game world. Everyone I met was playing a modern day American in fantasy land. Just responding to whatever I said in the most mundane sterile fashion. So eventually I just gave up trying. I tried to come up with stories using the setting, racial tensions, political intrigue, and Machiavellian power schemes (I would allude to them). Inevitably you'd have groups of people claiming I was racist or out of my mind (they didn't understand role-play vs real life.)

 

So I came over to Final Fantasy after the 14 day trial thing. I'd heard all the good guilds from Tera moved over to FF.

 

So far I've found pretty much the same experience I got in Tera. So I made a completely Reactive character in F'eora. She'll go with the flow and react to what ever is going on around her. I still walk up to people and such since I'm a very social person. But F'eora is no where near as in depth as my character in Tera, and that's a real shame.

[ArmachiA]

The truth of the matter is most rpers are going to be reactive rpers. This is why when you play table tops, there's always one person (In my group it was usually me) who runs all the games, while 5-20 people always play the games. If you don't do it, then nothing will ever get done. This could be because most people don't even know where to start with starting a story, or they just don't have the contacts to get people to play necessary NPCs, or maybe they're just shy and don't feel comfortable trying to reach out to people. I don't blame anyone for being a reactive RPer at all, because it takes a certain kind of personality type to be an Active one (It's basically Community Organizing which some people just hate). I do get discouraged when I see Active RPers stop being Active Rpers because they feel underappreciated though. There are VERY few of us, and even if we aren't showered in praise everyday, what we do it pretty vital to the community. What always makes me smile if when I see a normally reactive RPer come to me after a storyline and say they have an idea for a plotline. I'll help them with it and they run it, eventually they just start doing more and more things on their own. All because they saw a plotline I did they liked. That's the best thanks really, when you see people influenced by your own actions.

 

Active RPing is highly stressful and requires a lot, A LOT of planning (Which I know some rpers abhor, but it is a necessary evil) and organizing and time. You're going to get criticism left and right (Which if you can't handle dooon't be a GM), you're not going to be able to know the lore 100% which means you're going to have to take liberties you may not be comfortable with. I can see why not everyone does, but those who do are doing a big favor to the community.