Quick RP Questions

Macian

I thought it might be nice to have a place to ask people's opinions on RP stuff. Maybe a thread already exists, but if not, perhaps someone can sticky this one.

My question...

Part of Macian's character is the wide range of things he's done and experienced in the past. From Indorani and the Morgun forest conflict, to Duiran Benandanti and the Druids, to Bahkatu and Sleuth Leader, to Enorian and Morning Star, he's done a lot of stuff. 

It suits his character to refer to these things and talk about them, but it's never meant to come across as bragging, because that's not him.

That said, whenever he brings it up (even just writing the list above) I feel like I'm either 1) bragging on the stuff Macian has done (see above) or 2) living in the past too much with him.

Where do you think the line is? How do you think I can weave it in without people getting annoyed that Macian isn't moving on?

Areka

I feel the line comes between utilizing those experiences as jumping-off-points for lessons learned or experiences gained, rather than hallmarks of superiority, especially in a game where positions of power can be such a fickle thing (from the true leaders to the metagamed shells). What -about- when he was Morning Star? What events during his head as Sleuth Leader, etc? 

Draiman

I feel like I have the same problem as Macian, to a lesser extent. Draiman has never held any positions of power anywhere, but he's been part of some pretty big player driven events in Aetolia (not like a huge role or anything in them, but more participation than ye average participant). While he was never really top tier combatant either, he held his own against enough and killed enough people to where he was pretty much unchallenged until Dask or Aiden stepped in. Coming back from all of that without a system and pretty much useless outside of an extra body to take a few hits in team combat, and I feel like every time he mentions something he has done and I'm just pushing him into a has been who's bragging about his glory days. So most of the time he's drunk at Moi's bar while I figure out how to work around that. I'm slowly building a system, and I don't think I can ever be as good at coding as most people so trying to become a name in PK again is looking like it's out of the question.

Basically I have nfc what to do with Drai, but I've been having so much fun on the game I don't want to just quit or start another alt.

Edit: Attempted fix at Dasks name, because apparently he's really a unicorn.

Arbre

...why is Mister Qefin's name changed to unicorns?  Is his mudsex that explicit?

Daskalos

What the Daskalos?

Angwe

Just from reading the recent logs, @Draiman has become one of my favorites. Watching you in is like watching some genre savvy comedic action hero navigate this ridiculous world or something... idk. Reminds me of Evil Dead. Please don't quit.

Alexina

Okay, this question might not be so short, but I didn't feel like making a new thread when we already have one for RP-related questions:

How do you make up interesting, personal plot arcs that you get other people involved in? I specifically mean goals that do not require the Divine from pulling strings with mobs or whatever, but just those things on the personal level that progress character development or promotes your character's agendas/goals/ambitions? I'm not very innovate when it comes to just making things up, so usually I make goals for myself that're very tangible and typically quantified in one way or another by game mechanics; levelling up, becoming minister/GM/city council/whatever else, gathering Ylem, collecting bounties, or such. This all helps further my side's cause, but it rarely leads to interesting roleplay with people that I wouldn't otherwise bump into. I was hoping the Dominion would be another avenue that promoted interaction, but I think that I'm a bit bad at really opening up discussion and dialogue.

Basically, I think my problem is that I like RP but that I'm generally not very good at it. I'm alright at doing emotes, and I think I've gotten better at conveying personality traits, but I'm still not good at moving in new directions. Or, more importantly still, moving in directions that make me interact with people in ways that are more than casual chitchat. I don't think I've formed more than a few lasting relationships since rejoining Ve'kahi, and that's some fifty IC years ago.

Eleanor

It can help to give your character an objective. Elea's always got her science, so if I really feel like hooking someone I can ask a person to come hold down a screaming test subject for me or something, and that's a bit of a fun scene whenever it happens. An easy way to include others is to have your character write a book that requires interviews, then you've got an excuse for conversation and approaching people to talk to.

Other pick up and play RP ideas are things like pretending your character's misplaced something and going to look for it, or needing someone's help with something (sometimes, Elea decides she wants sutures, not salves, but she usually needs someone to set those for her if they're on her back or whatever).

You could even literally just play it that your character is lonely and wants someone to talk to. That can actually work at times! I remember once as a nublet I responded to a market ad asking for someone to come and talk. I ended up getting menaced by Kelki-Atrapoema and a scalpel (how's that for a blast from the past!) and it was one of the biggest deals I'd yet had happen to my wee babby novice self.

Moirean

Something I've fallen into the habit of doing, especially now that I RP often with Toz, is simply playing out mechanics. Instead of just changing clothing for a party, we have a fight over why Moi should (not) wear a skirt. Instead of just adding a room to the house, Moi makes Toz punch in a wall and stuff. Sometimes it's fun to just do stuff like that - as a crafter, you can do something like going through a more elaborate process of actually crafting something and find someone to help you with it, for example.

Another great way to find interaction is to react to stuff that happens. Get beat up in PK? Have someone stitch you together. Get drunk? Go wander around trying to pick a fight. I tried to open the door a bit for others with the post to the Order about how the Cabal would help them out with pushing back the shadow plague, but I don't think anyone took them up on that Stuff like that, though, is a great way to make stories and scenes - how would your character react to x y and z things going on? Usually those reactions mean that you have a perfect reason to go find people.

Hadoryu

As I read your question, @Alexina, I started forming a response in my head. Lo' and behold, the first line of Eleanor's answer crystallizes the essence of what I had in mind.

Your character has to have a drive, an agenda, a purpose. If you're not doing the things you're doing IC because there's some IC goal your character is trying to achieve, the RP surrounding the matter is hollow and irrelevant to your character. It rarely leads to growth, because by definition it isn't something your character feels strongly about.

If your character is trying to accomplish something - be it to coup an org, be it to maneuver politically to be elected, be it to act as a peace-keeper between conflicting factions, or in fact anything else that involves the participation of third parties - then your character's actions carry weight and act as milestones in a story arc.

Toz

Like Moirean said, I wanted to point out that the fun of a game doesn't necessarily come from a grand, world-changing storyline. Sure those are neat, but at the same time it's the little interactions that define your character on a daily basis. The daily chores can be, even if no one else is around, a good excuse to RP stuff. I throw some emotes out while forging, sometimes somebody shows up while I'm in the middle of it- it's either an excuse to show off how good you forge, or to just flex for Moirean while working. Small little trip-ups are neat too, fumble with putting your armor on. Or doze off and have your donkey wander you into a group of people and start talking to them- as far as for personal goals? Drag others along with you. Don't aim for 5k ylem, aim for helping 4 people get 5k ylem by organizing some ylem task force. Try to get someone ELSE elected to a position to help strengthen yours, maybe- but, in my opinion, it's the small things that lead to the big things that are the most fun.

Macian

Thanks @areka and others who responded. I've started making a more concerted effort to make any mention of past events more relevant by 1) Tying it directly to a point that's being made or 2) Exposing a weakness in Macian much more often than I use it to underline strengths.

Minarael

I rarely have a big overarching plan in mind when I make characters. My characters emerge as I interact with people. I start out simple and then as people ask questions of them or things occur, I fill in details. A lot of times those details suggest their own divergences.

I'm going to use Imperian characters because none of my Aet ones have been around long enough for me to share their 'plot' details yet. 

I had a girl who I made with the intent that she was going to be from one of the many tribes of bandits around the desert city. Within a fairly short period of time, she had a very complex and detailed structure of how that tribe worked, their system of laws, her own family history, and a goal -> figure out if her father's boasting about them being descendants of the long lost ssylsin monarchy was even remotely true.  Because of all the tales she'd been spinning, someone pointed out that there was an area that had recently been uncovered that had artifacts that might have been related. EDIT (Forgot something) Bam! Expedition planned, discussed, but never quite carried off cuz I wandered away from Imperian.  Ahem. <.<

My most well-known character started out as a sweet bard who wanted nothing more than to gain acclaim for her dancing and poetry and ended up having one of the (arguably) most successful runs at leading the assassin's guild. Her goals and personality changed dramatically over time based on the events that happened.

The two primary things that help me pluck out those little plots are probably flexibility and being in the moment.

By flexibility I mean... sometimes people get really fixated on the vision they had in their head for what they want their character to be. That's not very realistic. People change as life happens. So do characters. If you are able and willing to have events have an impact on your character's personality and intentions, then that in and of itself can create... opportunities to investigate.

Being in the moment means essentially letting your RP happen all the time. Don't wait for 'RP sessions'. Be your character. Respond to things. Respond to mechanics, things you see in descriptions in characters or a room or in an item. Roleplay around amusing mechanics. Roleplay what you are doing when you are engaged in practical matters (my current character keeps a book she's working on and I RP fiddling with it when I am filling in bits and semi-AFK). Other people are a primary source of these little plots, and you need to provide them hooks to interact with you. Plus doing that helps you sort out how your character thinks, feels, responds, and what kind of quirks they have. 

I will freely admit I'm having to relearn the second bit because Imperian is a sort of toxic environment for any RP that doesn't happen safely out of site of the combat-types. It was, however, probably the most help in creating opportunities for new lines of RP.

Vharen

Would being undead or a vampire have any impact on an Atavian's wings, color or otherwise? I'm leaning towards it remaining white, but wanted second opinions.

Minarael

I'm thinking of throwing myself back into a bard-like character and doing performance art oriented things again.

The actual performance part isn't an issue, but I'm curious about how often its been done here, if it is well-received, and if there's an issue with a lack of audience engagement. (As in, hey, respond, comment, don't just sit there passively during).  Also, what makes such things more enjoyable for audience members. 

My experience with a performance character was in Imperian, and I pretty much gave up on it because it is nearly impossible to get people to interact. They pretty much show up, ignore the screen till over, and politely clap at the end.  

Areka

Atavians don't all have white wings - they come in the same spectrum as other birds (there's been grey, slate-banded, mottled, russet, etc). Undeath/vampirism opens some possibilities for how they come across - less lustrous unless after a fresh feeding, etc. 

Vharen

Areka said:

Atavians don't all have white wings - they come in the same spectrum as other birds (there's been grey, slate-banded, mottled, russet, etc). Undeath/vampirism opens some possibilities for how they come across - less lustrous unless after a fresh feeding, etc. 

I was basing my assumption off the HELP ATAVIAN file. A terrible thing to do, I know . I've seen examples of people dyeing their wings, but I haven't come across any NPC Atavians yet.

Lin

As much as I want to kneejerk and say please don't make your Atavian's wings blue or somesuch, players have been doing it for a long time so you're probably open to any color choice.

Kaeus

I'd totally buy Cooking if I could bake Delphinium Cookies!

Haven

@Moirean made me some a few years back. Haha, the trouble I caused. And kudos to the peeps that went along with my shenanigans.

Macian

Can a mod sticky this thread? Good feedback and discussions on RP

Rivas

Thy will be done.

Aarde

I just realised after thinking back through various rp sessions that I nod and slownod entirely too often. I need to work on that

Arbre

This user has been banned for breaking the unicornsing forums.

Lin

Oh my god Arbre what did you do.

Arbre

...wow. Nevermind about that forum lifehack.

Setne

my brain, she hurts, Arbre and Rivas are the power couple when it comes to breaking the forums,

Arbre

I AM SORRY

Edit: Okay, fixed for real this time. Never, ever use /spoiler boxes when you're not spoiling.

Setne

What separates us the players from the game denizens? E.g: In Lusternia, players are those who have gone through the Portal of Fate.
The slave island thing can't be it imo, as I believe there are denizen slaves in the game, unless I'm imagining things.

Lin

It's hard to say. The common answer is "we're very strong", but that matters little to people like Llazuth, Qeddwyn, Vusbati, or any other superpowerful NPC that can thrash a solo player.

I've never been able to come up with a better answer than "there are about a few thousand special people who are committed to the Fellowship of Explorers and operate in these organizations called guilds".

Missari

Time to petition for NPC's to be added to the explorers rankings. >_>