Shenorai's Role-Playing Niche

What I have here...

This is a collection of rules and tips that I have found (or helped developed, as far as the template on here goes) across the internet.

It is not here to write the rulebook of role-playing. This is just to give you an idea as to what you should expect if you wind up in a community of role-players. Or even worse, if you land in a community of strict role-players.

If you have a set of rules that you would love to see on here, let me know. Remember, my IMs are;

AIM and YIM: Shenorai
MSN: sykesr@juno.com

-=[ DISCLAIMER ]=-
Do NOT ask me for a cybering session. I absolutely do not role-play sex. I don't care what you offer, I don't care how much you beg. Cybering belongs in the same section as Yaoi Twincest Fanfiction: Just another outlet for sexually frustrated teenagers to get off on when they can't find someone who is physically attracted to them. Try a bit of autoerotic asphyxiation instead. And fuck it up. Please.

Thank you for your time.

Chef Crowley’s Lesson in Cooking A Good RP Character

This is derived from the FFRepublic Forums. It's a good way to start making characters.

Ok, I’ve seen some CRAP ass characters that are blatant rip offs from games and other shit. This is beginning to get on my nerves, because
a) its cheap
b) its unoriginal
c) the people that do this can't even do it right...
d) There's already a character creation thing by Lennon Legend, and nobody seems to pay attention to it.

So I've decided to write out some ways in which YOU, yes YOU, the pathetic noob or member looking at this thread, can make your own original character... Now pay attention, or else you will pay... With... Something or other...

Preparing Ingredients

All you need to get started is a name, an age, gender, and race. Nothing else. Come up with these four simple things, and you're that much closer to having your own character. When you choose your name, don't just say "Oh, his name is Serge" or "Cloud" or "Sephiroth". YOU WILL GET YOUR ASS RIPPED FOR IT. Its not hard coming up with names, and even that you don't have to do. Why not use a real name that you can find at some site like www.behindthename.com ? Simple as that to have an original named character.

Putting it in the Oven

Now you've got what it takes to start writing a history. What's this you say? We don't know what the character looks or acts like? Well, that’s what writing a history will help us craft you moron! Look at how you turned out now, how is that? Are you skinny for no reason at all, or is it because you at some point in time decided not to eat very much at all? See? HISTORY SHAPES US. This goes the same for your character. You start from their childhood, and maybe if their mother left them, they're going to be distrustful against women, or maybe they were rich, and your character turns out a snob. YOU DECIDE. These give your characters realistic traits because it all makes sense! You can even decide what the character wears due to how they grew up. Rich snob, fancy ass clothes. Poor? Here, have these tattered robes, wench. You get the idea?

Adding Seasoning

Now you have your history, you can go into detail on a lot more. What profession does your guy work? Is he a rich drug pusher? Poor assassin? Whatever, this is the point where you start drawing the details. In this section, you go into what specifically your character looks like or wears. Does he have brown eyes, green hair, and blue nose hair? Fuck, tell me god damn it, I WANT TO VISUALIZE THE CHARACTER. Sure he wears fancy clothes, but what fancy clothes? That’s like telling me a cool game is out without me knowing what game you’re talking about. Go into details! Oh, it’s a long flowing robe with buttons, fine! WHAT COLOUR IS IT DAMMIT!? Is that all he wears, does he walk around NAKED WITH A COAT? Simple things like that help make your character that more realistic. You’d be surprised how many people just EXPECT others to know what their character looks like.

Time to Eat

HOW HARD WAS THAT? You just made a character! Now you have your original character, and you can use him for whatever you want! Doesn’t that beat cheap rip-offs? Now, bugger off x)

Simplified Character Biography

ORPG and/or RPB Required. Why do you need this? Simply, so we'll know which section to find this character in. The approval of a URPG (Unoriginal Role Playing Game) character lies solely with the person running the URPG.

Name: Required. Although unknown names make the character more mysterious, it also makes it difficult for other players to refer to the character. If you honestly have no idea what to call your character, try going to name websites such as http://www.behindthename.com , http://www.rinkworks.com/namegen/ , or http://www.squid.org/tools/names/  to help you out.
Title: Optional. The title of the character could be regal (King/Queen, Duke/Duchess, Count/Countess, Lord/Lady, etc.) or it could simply be an alias.
Race: Required. If the race is anything outside of your typical races (human, elf, vampire, etc.), then please make a small description of what the race is known for.
Gender: Required. Male, Female, or otherwise.
Age: Required. If you can't come up with an age, at least guesstimate.

Appearance: Details of what is expected are listed below. They are considered Required unless said otherwise;
- Hair: Color, Length, and Usual Style of your character's hair goes here. If your character wears a hat, then describe what his/her hair would look like both with and without the hat on.
- Eyes: Color(s) of your character's eyes go here. Any other oddities about the eyes (such as elliptical pupils or Dune's blue-on-blue eyes or whatever) are mentioned here as well.
- Height: How tall is your character? This can be in feet and inches and/or centimeters. 1 ft = 30 cm. 1 in = 2.5 cm.
- Weight: About how much does your character weigh? This can be in pounds and/or kilograms. 2.2 lbs = 1 kg. 22 lbs = 10 kg.
- Complexion: Not only is this the color of your character's skin, but it is also the texture of it. Is the character all squishy or does he/she have enough muscle to be hard as a rock? Also, does the skin have freckles, moles, birthmarks, scars, etc. or does it appear clean?
- Build: This is the general appearance of the character as far as muscle-mass goes. Is he huge and bulging with muscle or is he so scrawny he could do a zipper impression by standing sideways and sticking his tongue out?
- Noteworthy Features: This could be a scar across the character's chest, a tattoo on the arm, or a trinket that is carried around all the time. Since it's worth making note of it, why not describe it as well?
- Attire: This isn't the character's armor, but just what he/she generally wears.
Appearance in a Nutshell: Optional. If you wish, you may add a drawing or a picture to give a better idea of what your character looks like. This is not a replacement for the list required for the character's appearance.

Personality: Required. If your character was hanging around friends (assuming he/she has friends), how would he/she act? This goes for both good and bad situations.
First Impression: Required. This section is solely to help the other players. If a stranger walked up to your character, what would he/she generally do? Would he/she be easy to talk to? Things like that. Again, this goes for both good and bad situations.

Weapon(s): Required. Obviously, this section shows what the character uses to defend himself/herself. Try and use your common sense here: Your character shouldn't be able to have more than one large weapon (since they require two hands to use), they shouldn't have more than two mid-sized weapons (one-handed weapons), and they should have a limit to small weapons (dirks and throwing knives and the like).
Armor: Required. Does your character wear anything to defend against attacks with? This could range from full-body plate armor to just a buckler (small shield). If he/she doesn't wear armor, then just say "no armor" or "just the clothes on his/her back".

Magic: Required for magic-users. This should have a list of spells and what those spells do. There must be a drawback to your spells, such as an energy/mana drain that tires your character. Use some common sense here, too: The stronger the spell, the more energy/mana it's going to use, the more exhausted your character is going to be.
Abilities/Skills: Optional. This is a list of all the other abilities that couldn't be considered magic. Also, if your character has any special skills (such as stealth and lock picking and computer programming), then it should be listed here.

Quick History: Required. This can either be in the form of a synopsis or you can feel free to write everything out in paragraph form. How do you write up a history? Simply, think of your character as well as how he/she acts and looks. There must be some sort of reason behind why they act the way they do. History is what shapes the character, just like our history is what shapes us.
While you may or may not want certain aspects of your character’s past to be revealed early on, it is still required to mention any crucial events in your character’s history on account of approval. If there are certain aspects which you wish to remain secretive, you may simply conceal certain sections of your biography with spoiler tags (if any). In this case, you should also include an indication that the concealed portion of your biography may contain spoilers to your character’s past.

Other RPG Tips

These tips are derived directly from http://www.angelfire.com/nt/TEF/RpgTips.html . This is just about word-for-word, with the exception of spell check and whatnot. I'm posting the contents on here so they will not be lost. Note; for some of the content, viewer discretion is advised. (However it's spelled.)

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*No ladies and gentlemen, I'm not rewriting the Role Players Handbook, only highlighting some of the keys to help us all become a little better so we can show those who may need some help become a little better; and so on...and so on...and so on... The website below can help us all learn a thing or two about the concept of roleplaying. It's very informative.

*Nowadays most people enter a room with a well scripted pop-up as a dessy. It saves the time of having to type it over everytime they enter (like I used to before someone showed me how long ago). Of course you all know this, being the veterans of many many campaigns **snicker**. Yet sometimes when a stranger enters a room, the first thing that comes out is a hello followed by the name of that RPer who just entered. Now how did I know that person's name even though I've never seen him before? Telepathy? Was his name on a scrap of paper inside a Fortune Cookie? Not exactly; I was just trying to present a friendly atmosphere for our new guest. Except that it's not true RPing to know someone's name if you've never seen them before. Sometimes even greeting them in containments; ( ) or << >>, isn't good because it can disrupt the flow. Sometimes it's more appropriate to greet in a private message. It solves the problem of being able to greet everyone by their name while still setting a friendly environment. In broken_dagger, Jezabel the bot greets everyone and explains how her commands work. It frees up the OPs to be more involved. As our room grows and expands more RPers will be entering the forest. It's good manners to greet people when they enter our home, but it isn't always necessary and in a few instances it's not appropriate.

*Another thing that separates good RPers from great RPers is what they do after entering a room. Most just jump right in and get going like they're on a stop watch or their Mom is double parked outside the Post Office and they don't have time to stick around. They don't read the topic to see what might be happening, they just stumble in not knowing what situation the room may be in at that particular moment. A more experienced RPer takes their time, looks around, studies the scenerio, tries to figure out what's going on, which plot or storyline is the one they want to become involved in, what's different about the room from the last time they were here, etc.. Of course sometimes the choice is taken from them by the chars inside or a clever host who likes to become involved in the enhancement of a player's enjoyment. Imagination is a very subjective thing, very open to manipulation by a good host. (just thought I'd throw that in there)

*Now that we're inside the room, there are things that can determine what kind or style the room is and it all has to do with the kind of players that enter; those who learn from experience, and those who are too stubborn to change. Let me elaborate further. Most of us came upon our first online RPing experience in a certain room. We entered and saw how the majority of people were RPing so that's how we "decided" to RP. Then, after we think we're such experts, we venture out to new rooms and find out that there are indeed new worlds to conquer. Whereas in one room RPers say their dialogue in one or two lines, in another room the RPers type out a paragraph of dialogue, shaping it with the thoughts, feelings and reactions of their chars. This style takes more time and some patience but it's also more realistic than the rapid-fire style of one line dialogue, and in the end it's a far more rewarding experience. For some people, going to a new place allows them to expand their char beyond the limitations set either by themselves or their previous environment while other people are either too stubborn or too afraid to learn. Just like water will always find the lowest place in which to settle, a room will find its own niche and carve it out or it will die.

*My personal feelings about how the style our room should be is simple. We shouldn't take a step backwards after having come forward. On the Talk City Server most of us were introduced to online RP in a certain room whose style was simpler and easier to learn. After awhile (for me) it became tedious and boring. About two years ago I made my way to Starchat and was awed (after being confused). RPers would type these long paragraphs of dialogue and wouldn't say ANOTHER WORD until the char it was directed at responded with an equally huge expanse of words. There were fights IN THE ROOM! I couldn't believe it. The very first time I wound up in a physical exchange I was accused of power gaming. I didn't bother putting my OOC comments in containments and after awhile the OP kicked me for PGing and excessive arguing. This was definitely a different room from the one I had come from. What's even better, it was a step up. When I got the chance I went back to that room and would've made it my home a lot sooner if I wasn't an OP in that first room. People, we have evolved. We can no longer be satisfied with the simpler, almost childish ways of our RPing past. Here before us is the next step up the ladder in achieving a quality RPing platform. Our ability is the way and StarChat is the guiding light. I cannot, will not take a step back and I hope you all feel the same way.

*I am DEFINITELY not a well of information about how to RP in a quality fashion. All, and I mean ALL of my ability has come by listening and asking questions. Then I just go ahead and RP as best I can. I'd like to think i'm a decent RPer but I don't kid myself. I know there's much more for me to learn. For those that need it, I've put together some examples of what we hope to achieve in the style of RP we hope to have in our rooms.

1. Upon entering the room first look at the topic. Is it daytime? Is the moon out? Are we in the Elven village or in the clearing or maybe in the Town Square? You should know the situation that the room is in before you begin RPing. Take some time to get orientated.

2. When spotting someone you know send them a PM asking where they are in the scene before assuming they are "somewhere." I'm guilty of this all the time; trying hard to correct this. Or wait until you are reccognized by that individual and then proceed.

3. Here's where we separate ourselves from being just another ho hum RPG and us being where serious RPers want to be. When engaging in discussions try and breathe life into your char. Think about how your char feels as it reacts to different situations, then throw a little of that into what you want to say and do. EX1. (Josie walks in sees John and says hi). But what if Josie and John had GREAT SEX the last time they were together? Ex2. (Josie saunters into Rio Del Negro Cafe with an ease that belies her demeanor. Spotting John her heart picks up 20 BPM and her mind flashes back to their previous encounter of passionate love making. She tries to block out the terrible argument they had after making love. "Hi John" she says in a nonchallant fashion. Her words say one thing but her heart is telling quite a different story.) Now if Josie is good she will allow John to type his response at length, giving him enough time to say something really smart or soothing or stupid, which will create another fascinating response which might end up something like (Josie pulls off her pump and whacks the insensitive John upside his noggin. She spits in his face and tells him "You asshole! i hope you fall on a cactus, jewels first!" She turns and limps out with her shoe in her hand.) Got the idea? Of course that might not be the right thing to say in a medieval setting but you get the picture.

4. When two chars engage in a brawl it's done the same way...give and take...call and response. It's sort of like a tennis match where one char tries to hit the other instead of a ball. Ex. (Rough-Rider places a well aimed stroke with his battle mace at DragonMage's armored shoulder, trying to shatter bone, spill blood and do as much damage as he can.) (DragonMage brings his shield up to absorb the blow from Rough-Rider, then sends his broad sword whistling through the air with the might of a seasoned BattleMage, attempting to decapacitate his opponent.) The next question usually is "How is the battle decided?" That's the wonderful part of it. The outcome is determined by your ability to roleplay. Ex. (Rough-Rider ducks under the massive blow aimed at him. Knowing that a swing that strong will leave his opponent open, if only for a second he times his next swing perfectly at the exposed back as DM completes his followthrough, aiming for the weak spot where his armor is hinged.) (DragonMage is caught off guard and gets hit by the mace. He manages to shift his body so the blow strikes the stronger part of his armor but it knocks him off balance and he's sent crashing into a table, smashing it into pieces for the fire.) RR presses his advantage...DM defends...etc. Now campare that to this: (Rough-Rider swings at DragonMage smashing his shoulder.) (DragonMage moves at the last second and cuts RoughRider with his mightY sword across his face)
RR: I hit you first!
DM: I moved then I hacked you with my sword!
RR: Did not. I got you first.
DM: @#%$ you I got off the first blow!
Of course all of that was OOC.